Shen Nian distributed a lot of snacks, but he saved all the duck feet and similar treats exclusively for Xia Yanchun. This girl loved to nibble on them whenever she had nothing else to do.
She had already finished the large batch she asked him to buy last time, so he bought over a dozen more and kept them in his backpack.
If he hadn't escaped the game and didn't have the gold coins issued by the system, he really might not have been able to support Haji Chun's little requests. Eight hundred bucks was barely enough for him to get by.
Damn, he wanted to secretly tell his mom that he was hanging out with Haji Chun to use it as an excuse to get more living expenses.
When a kid is single, just staying alive is enough. But once they find a partner, they have to start putting in the effort.
If you don't find a partner and push your family a bit, you'll never know how hard they can work.
"Here, this is for you too."
Shen Nian placed the last small bottle of Wangzai milk on top of Xia Yanchun's pile of books. He had drunk so much of her pure milk that it wouldn't be right not to give something back.
Xia Yanchun was gnawing on a duck foot, surrounded by the smell of pickled peppers.
"Just how much food do you have left?"
"I've handed it all out. There's nothing left now."
"Honestly, a whole backpack full of snacks. Aren't you afraid of getting an upset stomach from eating so much random stuff?"
"I barely ate any myself, okay? Didn't I give it all away to others?"
"Bullshit. You always sneak food during study hall. You think I didn't see you?"
Shen Nian rubbed his nose. So Haji Chun knew about that too.
He didn't study anyway, and there was no teacher around. The things he ate didn't have much of a smell, so even Ma Mingfan and Chen Dong in the front row didn't notice. It didn't affect anyone else, so what was the big deal?
It was obvious at a glance. The verdict: Haji Chun had been peeking at him during class and got the munchies.
"I'll save a portion for you next time."
"Who wants to eat that."
"Aren't you eating right now?"
"I meant during class! Now that class is over, I want to eat. Got it?"
"Got it, got it." Shen Nian didn't argue with her and glanced at Li Shiyan, who was also nibbling on a duck foot.
Li Shiyan was the picture of a delicate young lady. When she ate a duck foot, she had to spit out the bones and rest them on a tissue. Shen Nian, on the other hand, would swallow everything, skin, bones, and all, except for the biggest bone.
Sigh, who would have thought that such a delicate, loli-like girl would have such a provocative internet handle behind the scenes.
Noticing Shen Nian's gaze, Li Shiyan lowered her head in embarrassment. The small snacks Shen Nian had given her were just a few packets of vegetarian tripe and dried little fish, not these duck feet.
"Um... Xiaochun gave me this, and I gave some of mine to Xiaochun."
"?"
Shen Nian had only glanced at her. What exactly was this loli girl trying to explain?
Even twenty years from now, probably no one would be able to understand.
Whatever, as long as the loli girl was happy every day.
Shen Nian sat back in his seat, and Chen Dong immediately turned around.
"Bro, look, I've finished eating. This... isn't right, is it?"
"You bastard, I gave you so much, and you ate it that fast?"
"Well, well, well, I don't even know who ate it all. Hurry up and give me some more."
"Not pretending anymore?"
Straight up robbing him now, huh? He laughed out of sheer exasperation.
Shen Nian spread his hands. "I really don't have any left. I gave it all away."
"Come on, bro, are you the Boy of Wealth or something?"
"I don't eat much anyway. Go ask Ma Mingfan."
"He eats even faster than I do."
"Who said that?" Ma Mingfan, brought up for no reason and slandered to boot, instantly flared up. He pulled half a packet of spicy gluten strips from his desk drawer. "There's still half a pack here, understand? If there's some left, it means I haven't finished it."
"Why are you saving half a pack?"
"Keeping it for the aroma. Haha, sorry, does it stink to you?"
"A little. That stuff has a pretty strong smell."
"Then I'm relieved. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to smell it. I specifically kept it to stink you two out."
Hearing this, Shen Nian practically dropped dead on the spot.
"Fine, fine. Next time I have snacks, I won't share them with you."
Ma Mingfan stopped laughing and shoved the remaining half pack into his mouth in one go. "Don't be like that, Bro Nian. I'll show you a special trick!"
"No need. I don't want to watch you kick Zheng Bu. It's a boring pun."
The class bell rang. Ma Mingfan muttered a few more words before turning back around. He had to show some respect to the class monitor sitting at the podium keeping discipline.
Shen Nian chilled out. Right now, he couldn't even tear off pieces of eraser to throw at Haji Chun's head. He never thought there would come a day when he'd have to figure out how to kill time.
Bored, he slapped Ma Mingfan on the back.
"?" Ma Mingfan looked back at Shen Nian.
"I needed you for something just now, but damn, I can't remember it anymore..."
"You've been secretly jerking off, haven't you? Doing it too much ruins your memory. I don't even do it anymore, and my grades are steadily going up."
"What are you thinking? You do it ten times for every one time I do." Although Shen Nian had no intention of quitting, he hadn't actually rewarded himself much lately. His time outside of school was quite fulfilling.
"Did you just... say jerk off?" Chen Dong turned around, looking dumbfounded. Then his eyes widened unevenly as he bared his teeth in a grin. "Is there anything more interesting than jerking off?"
Shen Nian and Ma Mingfan: "..."
This bastard Chen Dong, he was definitely going to be the cream of the crop of society in the future. They laughed out of sheer exasperation.
...
Evening study hall ended, marking the end of the day.
There was only one day left until the holidays. During the last period, Shen Nian had been pondering when to head back to his hometown.
He would stay in the city for another three to five days before going back.
He still had two necklaces in his drawer to give to his mom and dad. Shen Nian had already thought of an excuse: he just happened to get a scholarship, and then while scrolling through short videos, he accidentally heard the song Father, which triggered his filial piety, so he bought the two necklaces.
The filial piety trigger, also known as the little Father song, every time he heard it, he felt the need to act like a dutiful son. As for how long that filial piety would last, who knew.
"Nom nom..."
Xia Yanchun was still gnawing on a duck foot, making munching sounds. A fresh, spicy aroma followed them all the way.
"How are you still not finished?"
"It's the last one." Xia Yanchun gripped her backpack straps. It had been a long time since she had experienced this feeling of eating snacks on the way home from school.
In the past, they would buy a fifty-cent pack of spicy strips and take turns eating them, one by one.
It felt so youthful.
"Shouldn't you thank Nianbao for buying you so many duck feet?"
"Hmph, thank you, Haji Nian."
"..."
Shen Nian curled his lips. Dropping the act, he threw an arm directly over Xia Yanchun's shoulders, pulling her petite frame into his embrace as they walked together.
Xia Yanchun merely shrugged her shoulders. Since he didn't let go, she just ignored it. Anyway, none of the day students on the road knew each other, so it didn't matter if others mistook them for a little couple.
With his hand on her shoulder, he obviously couldn't behave. Shen Nian would occasionally touch a certain someone's delicate ear. At first, it was cool, but as he kept touching it, it grew warm and hot.
It wasn't that Xia Yanchun was shy; it was simply getting flushed with blood.
"..." It felt a bit uncomfortable. Xia Yanchun glared at him.
It had been rubbed until it was the color of pig liver.
Back at the apartment complex, Shen Yue was lying in her room playing on her phone, and Shen Nian took a shower as usual.
He had originally planned to go to Xia Yanchun's house right before midnight, but while Shen Nian was hanging his clothes out to dry, the front door was opened from the outside.
"Hey." Xia Yanchun bounded in wearing her slippers, skipping along.
"What's going on? What's got you so happy?"
"Look, I got another price cut."
Xia Yanchun practically sparkled as she walked out to the balcony. Ignoring the chilly wind of the high floor, she insisted on showing Shen Nian the screen where she had successfully slashed the price down to eighty bucks.
No wonder she was so happy.
"You're amazing," Shen Nian said with a faint smile.
"You see? Your Sister Chun is just that capable."
"Amazing, simply amazing. Now go warm the bed." Shen Nian lifted his chin toward the room and said in a low voice.
"What the... who wants to warm your bed? Go warm it yourself."
Sister Shen Yue's room light was still on, which was super scary, okay?
Xia Yanchun muttered under her breath. The wind in the hallway was a bit strong, and she was still wearing her pajamas. After showing off, a gust of wind left her shivering from the cold.
She quickly shrank back into the living room and cautiously slipped into Shen Nian's room.
The room was warmer than she had expected. Why was it like this? Did the room inherit Shen Nian's body heat?!
Xia Yanchun climbed onto the bed, only to find that Shen Nian's bed was still warm... He must have been lying here just now, only getting up to hang the clothes after the washing was done.
Mmm, it's so warm... and it actually smells pretty good, though it's hard to describe exactly what the scent is.
But calling it Shen Nian's scent would definitely be spot on.
Xia Yanchun's small face turned a rosy pink, and she threw a punch at Shen Nian's pillow.
Who wants to smell it anyway!
If no one saw it, then she didn't smell it!
Xia Yanchun got mad at herself. In her frustration, not only did she not want to warm Shen Nian's bed, but she also wanted to do something outrageous to him.
After hanging up the laundry, Shen Nian used the bathroom and slipped back into his room.
Xia Yanchun coming over was a bit unexpected, but it made no difference; it would be the same if he went over to her place.
He just didn't understand why Xia Yanchun was sitting on the edge of the bed. It was freezing cold, she was barely wearing anything, and yet she wasn't under the covers. If this wasn't being an idiot, what was?
"You little fool, you're going to freeze to death."
"Hurry up and get in to warm the bed," Xia Yanchun patted the soft quilt.
"If you had laid down earlier, it would be warm by now."
Shen Nian nimbly got onto the bed and slipped under the covers, only to hear Xia Yanchun whisper:
"I said I wouldn't warm the bed for you, so I won't. You just lie down properly."
Using both her hands and feet, Xia Yanchun threw a leg over Shen Nian and straddled his lower abdomen. The lingering feelings from earlier hadn't dissipated yet. Against the backlight, the young girl's crimson ears were especially clear.
"??"
Even though her face was blushing all the way to the base of her neck, she was still forcing herself to mess with your boy?
So this bad girl is just this bad, huh.
.

lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.

e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."